Journey To The South (Part 1)

at the Embassy of Colombia in Jakarta, Indonesia. Vamos a Colombia!

Dear Colombian Government,

First of all, I want to say thank you for this amazing opportunity to explore and experience your country. When I got an email for the first time saying that I got a scholarship for studying Spanish in Colombia I was really excited. It is my first time studying abroad and it is also my first time coming to South America. I honestly never imagined I would visit Colombia but amazingly I had a chance to study and live in this country. Why Colombia is never on my bucket list? Well, first it is because of the security issue and second, it is too far from Indonesia. It is located on the other side of the world. I need to travel half of the world to get here. But voila! here I am in Colombia.

There are nine of us that had a chance to study Spanish in Colombia for 16 weeks. The program is called "Spanish Course for Tourist Guides and Journalists Specialized in Tourists From Fealac South-East Asia Countries" or ELE FOCALAE. After being postponed for 10 days we all finally had a chance to meet for the first time at the Embassy of Colombia in Jakarta also with ambassador Señor Alfonso Garzon two days before our flight. 

at Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaysia

First, stop at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Malaysia, and yes this is also my first time visiting Malaysia. With only 50 minutes of transit, I'm happy to do a quick tour inside the airport with one of my friends Riki. Just a minute after step in into the gate I could see a direction board with Malay words. I can help smiling reading those signs. I mean really they say Indonesia and Malay language has much in common but I honestly think not. Reading those signs made me scratch my head and I lost in translation.

Alright then let's continue this journey, next stop Netherlands. It was a long 12 hours trip with lots of pain. Unlucky during those flights I can't have a nice sleep, my eyes are tired looking at the screen in front, my ears are bored listening to music, and my waist and my butt hurt so bad. I can't move too much because I was afraid of disturbing my friends on my left and right side. Yes, I was unlucky to get a sit in the middle and I envy those who can sleep so calmly and peacefully.

Transit at Schiphol Airport for 6 hours before heading to Peru

After 12 hours of having back and butt pain finally, that metal giant bird landed safely at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.  Hip...hip..hooraayyy...I was so relieved that I can get out of that cabin.

Hello again Amsterdam, long time no see? There are a lot of things that have changed in Schiphol they had a big renovation with the terminal. Photo, photo, and photo! Yes, this is a very important thing to do when I arrived at Schiphol and later upload it on my Instagram.

I was so happy to have a 6,5 hours break in Schiphol because I can have time to relax all parts of my body that ached. But the first thing first was to find a toilet for brushing my teeth, washing my face, and changing clothes. Then and two of my friends were having a decent breakfast with an apple pie, a tuna sandwich, and a cup of hot chocolate. This is the first time I really had a chance to talk more intimately with them after our first meeting at the embassy. Please meet Tita an adult woman with long wavy hair who loves traveling, like an open-minded man, and working for a chic magazine for Indonesian Ladies. Then there is Riki an adventurous boy who loves traveling, looking forward to meeting " Una Chiquita Colombiana", and the best Spanish speaker among the nine of us.

As we talked and talked at a cafe and then moved to a bench in front of a toilet, yes a toilet I don't know what we're thinking hanging out in front of the toilet, we can hear our call for the next flight to Lima. Ehemm...yes you hear me Lima as Lima in Perú. We're going to Perú! Never in my life that I can go to that country after all this time only imagining it, dreaming about it, and looking at it in magazines and the internet.

I was so excited for Perú but at the same time, I felt tired. Oh my god! Another 12 hours flight It will be a very long journey. The atmosphere inside the plane was so different from my first flight. Before there were a lot of Asian faces like us and tall white men with blond hair. Here is full of Latin faces, dark hair, Moreno skin, and not so tall man. Oh yeah, they we're all speak Spanish.

As I can predict I also have trouble sleeping again. It was torture! Seriously I've tried to shut my eyes but still, I can't have a good nice sleep. So after having lunch I decided to stand and relax my body at the back part of the plane near the toilet. Mmhh..another toilet. I don't know exactly how many people I've seen in and out of the toilet. I've been standing for about one hour listening to my mp3 player while eating a small pack of beans and a glass of juice.

Yes, we're in Lima, Perú!

Bienvenido al Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez! Hooorrraaaayyyy we're finally set foot in Latin America. I don't know how to describe my feeling that night when we arrived in Lima, Perú. It was a believe it or not moment for me. Well, I guess everyone does because it was our first experience leaving home so far away.

We only had 3,5 hours for transit and we sure did make the best out of it. Photo..photo..and photo. We may not take photos with the great valley of Machu Pichu as our background but a simple group shot in front of a souvenir shop that has Perú words written on it is more than enough. Hahaha...silly things we did!  

I remember when I first got into the flight cabin for the third time I felt sick. I mean really? Do I have to see this room again? I'm exhausted. My butt was traumatized to sit on those chairs again. But surprisingly Avianca chairs are way more comfortable than the previous plane. So after dinner, I found myself drowning in a dream.  

Enjoying our 42 hours flight

Damas y caballeros en pocos minutos nos llegarán en aeropuerto El Dorado de Bogotá. Por favor, abroche el cinturón de seguridad! That sound from speaker wake me up from my dream. Oh yes finally, I can sleep after 39 hours flight. I can see lights of Bogotá behind the window. 

We were probably the last passengers who got off the plane and we sure did the last passengers who entered the immigration inspection. After being asked a few questions in Spanish and handing over our documents by the officer we went downstairs and took our luggage. A security guard with a big dog sniffed around our luggage to make sure we didn't bring anything illegal or dangerous.

We arrive at El Dorado Airport at 2 am! Oh god, I was really happy after 42 hours and 10 minutes finally I'm here in Bogotá, Colombia. The Journey to the South has ended.

Estamos en Colombia! Finally arrived in El Dorado Aiport Bogotá after 42 hours flight.

My first impression of Bogotá was actually better than I expected. The airport is big, clean, and modern. The air was clean and the temperature is low so it was cold. The guy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aka Cancilleria has waiting for us and took us to the bus before directly leading us to the hotel. I was sitting near the window so I could see Bogotá at night, and it was really quiet. Nobody is walking around and there aren't any cars passing by. The store was all closed but I can see the modern building. It felt like we were in eastern Europe or something. 

I was worried for nothing and anyone who told me that Colombia is a scary place to visit must come here and experience it by themselves. Besides which countries in this world don't have crime issues? We just have to be aware of our surroundings every time we'll go abroad, right?

Anyway, estoy en Colombia!